Spanish Printables and Lesson Plans for Niños

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Creating a Classroom Constitution

Creating a classroom constitution is a great way to learn about the rights and the responsibilities we all share and need to respect.

Why are Constitutions important? A Constitution tell us about how a government works and lists some important and fundamental rights to keep people safe.

To create a classroom constitution, begin by discussing what makes a positive and respectful classroom environment.
Some answers may be:
– We listen when a classmate is sharing his or her ideas and stories with us.
– We offer our help when a classmate is sad or upset.

Brainstorming and Questions (English-Spanish):

What are some rights that are important to have in the classroom? ¿Cuáles son algunos derechos que son importantestener dentro del salón de clases?
Some answers may be:
– The right to learn. El derecho de aprender.
– The right to share my opinions. El derecho de compartir mis opiniones.

What do we need to do to protect our rights? ¿Qué necesitamos hacer para proteger nuestros derechos?

Discuss the importance of having rules or responsibilities. I prefer to call them responsibilities because it changes a negative statement into a positive one, for example, the rule is “don’t run inside” vs. the responsibility is “walk inside”.

When do we need rules or responsibilities? ¿Cuándo necesitamos tener reglas o responsabilidades?

What is the difference between rights and rules? ¿Cuáles son las diferencias entre reglas y derechos?

Class Activity

Students brainstorm and decide between 3 and 5 classroom rights and between 3 and 5 classroom rules or responsibilities. You can help students combine these two into statements.

A statement may be:

“We keep our voices down (responsibility) so that I can to listen to the teacher and learn new things (my right to learn)”“Mantenemos nuestras voces bajas (responsabilidad) para poder escuchar a la maestra y aprender cosas nuevas (derecho de aprender)”